Keeping Safe over this Festive Season

It’s an exciting time of year filled with family time and holiday travel. We have put together a list of considerations to take into account when leaving your home and precious valuables for longer than usual.

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Pack valuable items away so that it won’t be visible to passers-by from the street.

Make sure you’re insured correctly. If you are insured already, review your insurance policies or contact your broker to verify the terms of your policy. Is it up to date?

Are you adequately insured?

Will any new gifts or purchases be covered?

See to it that you have the contact details of at least two responsible people back home that you can contact in case of an emergency.

Don’t tell the world you’re away. If you’re using Facebook or Twitter, there may be some not so friendly ‘friends’ who may be interested in you not being home.

Don’t leave your spare keys under a flowerpot or in the post box. Leave them with someone you trust.

Make sure your vehicle is equipped to make a long road trip, meaning that it is in road worthy condition and has been serviced, that your tyres, shock absorbers, windscreen wipers, etc. are checked or replaced.

Have the contact number of a reputable towing company and numbers of regional Emergency Services located along your route.

Make sure your car and driver’s licenses are still valid. Don’t carry large sums of cash; put your cameras and laptops in a hotel safe when you’re not using them; don’t wear excessive expensive jewellery; be careful when using ATMs in places you’re not familiar with; know where the nearest police station is.

RBS has some industry leading additional services that you, as a policyholder, have automatic access to. Load the RBS Assist 24/7 number (0861888727) into your phone to gain access to:

Roadside Assistance and Auto Assist if you break down en-route.

Emergency Home Assistance – for plumbing or electrical emergencies.

Membership to Emergency 9 (E9) – where your cell phone becomes your panic button to send out a distress call with your location and vital medical information when you’re in trouble. This service extends also to 4 other family members for free.

RBS also has specialist Identify Theft services.

Contact RBS to ensure that these services have been activated.

See you in the New Year! Contact us anytime; we’ll be on call for you throughout the holiday period in case you need us.